Jaguar Land Rover is cutting carbon emissions on a major scale across its business, with an ambitious goal to reach zero emissions by 2020.

The carmaker aims to be sustainable across all it activities, including product development, manufacturing and logistics, with carbon reduction playing a central role. Its carbon offsetting programme, which is one of the motor industry's largest, has offset 5m tonnes of CO2 emissions in the past five years.

In developing its products, Jaguar Land Rover scrutinises the environmental impact of every component, from its beginning as a raw material to the end of its life. The company invests heavily in designing cars with lower tailpipe emissions, developing fuel-saving technologies and researching more efficient, sustainable components. Some 85% of the new Range Rover is made from recyclable materials.

A dedicated team identifies ways to improve energy efficiency and cut carbon emissions across the company's manufacturing sites. Through a range of smart energy-saving initiatives, Jaguar Land Rover cut CO2 emissions by 27,000 tonnes between 2010 and 2012, saving £4m in the process.

Working with its logistics partner DHL, Jaguar Land Rover cut carbon emissions from the vehicles transporting its cars and components by 26% in four years. The companies' joint Mission Emissions project included driver training, new ways of filling trailers, introducing speed limiters and reducing the number of journeys made.

Finally, the company is using a far-reaching carbon-offsetting programme to balance the emissions being produced by its production lines and by customers on the road. In all, 5m tonnes of CO2 emissions have been cut in five years.

All 50 of the offset projects Jaguar Land Rover has invested in either contribute to improving the health and economic wellbeing of people in developing countries or to protecting the environment.

Jaguar Land Rover has reduced its overall impact on the environment by 25% over the past five years.

Katharine Earley is a copywriter and journalist, specialising in sustainability

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